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Application of the pipe model theory to predict canopy leaf area
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1982
Year
Pipe Model TheoryEngineeringBotanyForest HydrologyCanopy Leaf AreaForestryCanopy MicrometeorologyForest ProductivityEarth ScienceSocial SciencesSilvicultureBiogeographyGeographyHydrologyDeforestationSapwood Cross-sectional AreaNatural Resource ManagementForest InventoryTree Growth
The pipe model theory presents the idea that a unit weight of tree foliage is serviced by a specific cross-sectional area of conducting sapwood in the crown. Below the crown, a large fraction of the tree bole may be nonconducting tissue, so the sapwood area would have to be known to estimate foliage. We applied the pipe model theory to the analysis of several western coniferous species to learn whether the distribution of canopy leaf area could be accurately estimated from knowledge of the sapwood cross-sectional area at various heights, including breast height (1.37 m). Results are excellent, but taper in the conducting area must be considered when sapwood area is measured below the crown.